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Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Female Politicians and Cutting Her Hair for 'Veep'

By Meredith B. Kile 9:44 PM PDT, April 16, 2015

HBO

Hillary Clinton might be officially in the running, but Julia Louis-Dreyfus is already the first female president. On Veep, anyway.

The comedy star graces the May issue of Marie Claire and opens up about her HBO character Selina Meyer (whom she dubs "a straddler" and "a political animal") and the hair-raising truths about women in politics.

"In my limited experience, I would say that female politicians can be a bit more forthcoming, open," Louis-Dreyfus tells the magazine. "I don't mean they're spilling the beans or saying things they shouldn't, but I don't feel a guard in the same way. Maybe it's a female-to-female thing."

If female politicians are more forthcoming, perhaps the same could be said of their critics. Louis-Dreyfus’ Veep character faced harsh criticism for a slightly severe haircut during the show’s third season, a storyline which mirrored criticism of real-life high-ranking female politicians.

"I mean, Hillary Clinton has gotten so much shit for her hairstyles over the years," Louis-Dreyfus exclaims. "Which is remarkable when you consider what it is she does! But hair, for some reason, is a really big deal."

The actress, who made her TV debut on Saturday Night Live, became a breakout star on Seinfeld, and won her second of five Emmy Awards on The New Adventures of Old Christine, says that the key to her success so far is following her instinct.

"I've tried to be as thoughtful as I could be and pure in my thinking in terms of looking at projects and, by the way, the people who are attached to those projects," she explains. "It's kind of like getting married to a stranger: You spend a lot of time together, and you have to be in sync creatively—and you can't always know that. For instance, with Armando, I didn't really know him that well, or at all, actually. And then you sign your life away."

The May issue of Marie Claire is on newsstands April 21, and Veep airs Sundays at 10:30pm on HBO.